TMZ Sports - Page 50

Great news for Ed Oliver ... the Buffalo Bills' rising star is getting his DWI and gun charges dropped because of insufficient evidence, prosecutors confirmed to TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old former first-round pick -- who had a rock-solid rookie season for Buffalo last year -- was arrested back on May 16 in Montgomery, Texas after cops say he was drunk driving.

Officers claim witnesses told them they saw Oliver swerving and driving dangerously at around 9 PM ... and they say when they eventually caught up to Ed, he was doing 80 mph in a 45 and illegally passing people.

Cops say when they pulled Ed over, they noticed a "moderate" odor of alcohol and said Oliver had bloodshot and glassy eyes.

The officers also say Oliver had an open can of Bud Light in the driver's side door ... and claim the guy bombed sobriety tests.

Cops also say they found a pistol in his car after searching his ride.

Eventually, Oliver was arrested and charged with class B misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and class A misdemeanor "unlawful carry weapon."

But, prosecutors told us Wednesday they filed a motion to drop the charges after the testing for drugs/alcohol came back negative.

Oliver's attorney, Gary E. Patterson, elaborated to Fox 26's Mark Berman, saying, "The charges against Ed Oliver are being dismissed by the district attorney in Montgomery County (because of) the lack of evidence."

"The blood results came back and they were totally negative. He had no drugs at all in his system..So everybody know it's not the attorney that's getting him off. They had no evidence."

As for the gun charge, Patterson told Berman, "It gets automatically dismissed because it's only illegal to have a pistol in your vehicle if you're intoxicated or if you get charged with another criminal act. So when the DWI is dimissed, it's not illegal to have a pistol with you."

Oliver himself weighed in on the news, writing on his social media page, "Now y’all go back and read this article knowing that all my blood work came back clean!!!but I had a beer can between my legs get the f*** out of here how does a 5’8 officer see inside a window above his head anyway how do 5 cop cars show up before I take a sobriety test huh"

Dodgers fans, rejoice!!! ... Mookie Betts appears set to be a Los Angeleno for life -- reportedly closing in on signing a massive 10-YEAR extension with the team!!!

Official numbers on the imminent deal aren't out yet ... but WEEI's Lou Merloni reports the figures could be anywhere from $350 to $400 MILLION for the life of the contract.

Of course, it's HUGE news for the Dodgers ... there was some worry in the City of Angels that the impending free agent, Betts, would bolt for another team after this season.

But, the outfielder -- who won an MVP and a World Series ring in Boston before being traded to the Dodgers this offseason -- now appears poised to finish out his career in California.

The 27-year-old is one of the game's brightest stars ... he's got a .301 career batting average and has already come up with a few monster hits in the Dodgers' exhibition games this month.

Crushing blow for Red Sox fans, meanwhile ... some thought Mookie would return to Beantown and sign a long-term deal there after this season.

Tough break.

Richaun Holmes is revealing the meal that made him risk it all and leave the NBA bubble ... saying he was craving some delicious chicken wings!!!

Remember, the Sacramento Kings forward/center was forced back into a 10-day quarantine in Orlando earlier this month ... after he stepped off the Disney campus to pick up a food delivery.

The 26-year-old is back with the team after doing his time ... and he's breaking down the moment he messed up and popped the bubble.

"I ordered some food, ordered some wings and went to grab the wings and I wasn't really too aware of the borders," Holmes said.

"I stepped out, grabbed the food and came back and they just let me know they want me to be as safe as possible and had to enforce the rules and I completely understand that."

"Won't make that mistake again."

Of course, the league is taking the bubble VERY seriously ... which has resulted in ZERO new positive COVID-19 tests over the past week.

Holmes says he spent the 10 days working out and doing sprints in his room ... even using a punching bag to get out his aggression.

But, the REAL question is ... were the wings worth it?!?!

NOVAK?! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!!

Despite being at the center of a massive COVID-19 exposure, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic is still refusing to wear a mask!

The 33-year-old Serbian was spotted out Wednesday in Marbella, Spain -- a super popular vacation spot -- hanging out with a bunch of people.

No one in Novak's group appeared to be wearing a face-covering or seemed to make an effort to social distance.

Of course, Spain was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus -- with over 28,000 reported deaths -- but the popular beach areas finally began opening up earlier this month.

In fact, there are 3,000 "beach wardens" patrolling the sand to enforce safety protocols -- including mask-wearing.

There are stiff penalties for non-compliance -- including a $110 fine if caught maskless.

Obviously, Novak can afford a measly fine -- you'd think he'd want to avoid the public shaming (AGAIN) after throwing that COVID-infested tennis tournament last month.

As we previously reported, Novak blew off social distancing advice and hosted a tennis tournament in Croatia -- and shocker -- a bunch of people tested positive!

Both Novak and his wife contracted the virus -- and while they eventually recovered, you'd think they'd start taking safety measures more seriously.

Bill Belichick's going to LOVE this ...

Cam Newton brought out yet another Patriots receiver for a throwing sesh in L.A. this month ... this time getting in some reps with Julian Edelman -- who's already praising the team's new QB!!

Cam posted a clip of their workout on Wednesday ... and it shows him throwing a dart of a football to a shirtless Edelman -- who loved the pass so much, he shouted out the QB in the vid.

"It very well could be like that," Edelman says after making the reception. "Great ball!"

Of course, Cam's worked out with just about every top New England wideout since signing with the team a few weeks ago ... he's had multiple L.A. sessions with Mohamed Sanu and N'Keal Harry in the last few weeks.

But, a workout with Jules is far more significant ... Edelman is the team's WR1 -- and the biggest leader on the squad now that Tom Brady's gone.

We're assuming more footage and details from the workout are on the way ... but seems Julian liked it all -- he reposted Cam's vid on social media with emojis of eyeballs and a shush sign.

NY Jets owner Woody Johnson -- who's also the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. -- was investigated by the State Dept. over alleged racist and sexist comments to his staff, according to CNN.

Long story short, the CNN report paints Johnson as a racist, sexist meathead, who often made insensitive comments about minorities and women in the capacity of doing his job.

Here are some of the allegations ...

-- In 2018, Johnson allegedly made racist remarks before an event for Black History Month. CNN says he "appeared agitated and asked if the audience would be 'a whole bunch of Black people?'"

Multiple sources told CNN that Johnson openly questioned the need for Black History Month -- and "argued that Black fathers didn't remain with their families and that was the 'real challenge.'"

The incident was reported to the Office of the Inspector General, says CNN.

-- Multiple sources tell CNN that Johnson would hold official meetings at a fancy "men's only" club in London called "White's" -- where no female diplomats were allowed to attend.

-- Johnson is also accused of making all sorts of offensive statements about women during his job as ambassador ... many of which focused on looks.

CNN described some of the comments this way ... "According to one source, at certain public events, Johnson would start his remarks by quipping about how many pretty women were present -- reducing them to decorative objects in a way a source described as 'just sort of cringeworthy.'"

The State Dept. did not comment on the status of the investigation -- but told CNN that Woody is a "valued member of the team who has led Mission UK honorably and professionally."

"We stand by Ambassador Johnson and look forward to him continuing to ensure our special relationship with the UK is strong."

We reached out to the NY Jets for comment -- so far, no word back.

Johnson -- who was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom by President Donald Trump in 2017 -- is an heir to the Johnson & Johnson empire.

He famously purchased the NY Jets in 2000 for $635 million.

Move over, Zoolander ... there's a new really, really, ridiculously good-looking male model taking over the industry -- unofficial Tommy Bahama spokesman Andy Reid!!!

So here's the deal ... the KC Chiefs coach is known for being obsessed with the company's floral-patterned shirts ... and will take any opportunity to rock the tropical look.

Reid's been spotted wearing TB shirts at annual coaches' meetings, and during the 2020 NFL Draft, and even when introducing Patrick Mahomes' record-breaking 10-year, $503 MILLION deal a few weeks back.

While the Super Bowl-winning coach doesn't have an official gig with the brand, TB's Chiefs merch sales are reportedly through the roof!!

According to Forbes, the Tommy Bahama and Chiefs collab has exploded over the part 2 years ... with sales at Arrowhead Stadium, TB stores and online more than DOUBLING!!!

As for the relationship with Reid ... TB's CEO Doug Wood says the brand sends coach around 6 free shirts a year ... because he's pretty much a walking billboard.

"We try to keep him as current as possible," Wood told Forbes, "because whatever he’s wearing people want to buy."

"It’s really been an amazing thing for us. He just kind of took over as one of our spokespeople without us knowing he was the spokesperson."

"You faster than some of the receivers on our team!"

That's Tyreek Hill giving MAJOR props to Terrell Owens after the Hall of Famer ran a smoking 4.4 in the 40-yard dash during their race this month ... and yeah, T.O.'s still got it!!!

The NFL legend and the K.C. Chiefs superstar took to a high school field in Florida recently to settle a little racing bet.

Hill wagered $1,000 that even with a 10-step head start ... he wouldn't lose in a 100-yard sprint to Owens.

Turns out, though, T.O.'s still got jets -- even at 46 years old -- 'cause he won the race EASILY.

But, afterward, the two decided to get in a straight-up 40-yard dash ... and while Hill just barely beat out Owens there -- T.O. still clocked an INSANE 4.4!!!

Seriously ... watch the clip -- dude's got unreal speed!!!

That prompted Tyreek to heap some heavy praise on Owens ... saying T.O. was quicker than some of his Super Bowl champion teammates -- and that's when Owens made a pitch to Andy Reid!!

"I'm faster than half [the people] in the league!" Terrell said. "Andy Reid, trust me, if you get into trouble now, if you get in trouble, I'm letting you know right now, I'm social distancing, I got my mask on, but if you ready, it's going to be mask off. Bring me to Kansas City now!"

Tristan Thompson might've shown his cards on where things stand with Khloe Kardashian -- putting his L.A. mansion on the market.

The NBA star just listed his Encino mansion for a cool $8.5 million -- $2M more than what he paid a year ago after the Jordyn Woods drama -- and it might very well be the sign he and his baby mama are officially back together.

These digs are top-notch, BTW -- kind of the ultimate bachelor pad for the rich and famous type. It's an almost 10,000 square foot farmhouse style home with 7 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms, with all the bells and whistles of luxury you might expect from a home like this.

It comes with a pool, an outdoor kitchen with a bar, a spa, a foyer, a marble fireplace, a separate fire pit, a home movie theater, a twirling staircase, a guest house out back with two bedrooms of its own -- yeah, like we said ... it's got the works as far as nice stuff.

Tristan swooped the place up last summer following a tumultuous breakup with Khloe after she accused him of cheating (again) with Kylie's former BFF. It wasn't too far from her in Calabasas either -- remember, they share a daughter, True, whom they co-parent.

Keep in mind ... they've been spending an awful lot of time together during quarantine -- and they're not hiding the fact they've been hanging out ... especially around True.

Six-time All-Star and former league MVP Joey Votto dropped down to a knee during the national anthem Tuesday ... continuing his promise to help raise awareness for social justice.

The Cincinnati Reds star joined three other teammates in the demonstration before they took on the Tigers in an exhibition game at Great American ballpark, and the scene was powerful.

Votto, Amir Garrett, Phillip Ervin and Alex Blandino all shifted to a knee when the pregame song began playing ... while some of their Reds teammates showed support by placing their hands on their backs.

After the game, team manager David Bell -- who stood next to the kneelers during the anthem -- praised the guys ... saying, "I know this situation is personal."

"It’s emotional for all of us. I wanted them to know that they had my support."

Votto -- who didn't speak with reporters after the game -- has been extremely vocal in his support for racial equality following George Floyd's death in May.

The 36-year-old first baseman wrote an op-ed piece for The Cincinnati Inquirer in June ... explaining how the nationwide protests after the Floyd tragedy made him realize he needed to join the fight for racial justice.

"I am awakening to their pain, and my ignorance," Votto wrote in the piece. "No longer will I be silent."

In addition to the kneeling ... Votto has also been spotted wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt at team workouts this month.

As for the other kneelers ... Garrett released a statement on social media after the game saying, "No matter how you twist this story, my intentions today were based solely on wanting change throughout this country."

On Monday night, S.F. Giants players and coaches also knelt for the anthem before their exhibition game with the A's ... while in San Diego, a Los Angeles Angels pitcher dropped to a knee in the pregame ceremony before their tilt with the Padres.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hitting the market ... and none other than NBA legend Kevin Garnett is part of an investment group gunning to buy the team.

Billionaire owner Glen Taylor -- who has owned the team since 1995 -- confirmed Tuesday he's listening to offers to sell the team ... saying he is "seriously considering" all his options, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania.

KG -- the best T-Wolves player of all time -- is part of a group of investors who are "seriously interested" in placing a bid for the team, the report says.

Remember, Garnett absolutely HATES Taylor ... and it stems from a promise he made with the late Flip Saunders about taking a front office or ownership role with the team.

KG says the businessman broke his promise after Saunders died by bringing in Tom Thibodeau instead ... and brought up his issues with the owner back in April.

"I don’t do business with snakes," KG told Shams at the time. "I don’t do business with snake motherf***ers. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like."

Of course, Taylor had intended on putting KG's #21 up in the rafters at the Target Center ... which the hooper rejected until Taylor was no longer owner of the team.

Depending on who gets the team ... it may be time for that ceremony after all.

L.A. Lakers guard Alex Caruso -- a fan favorite -- decided to skip his sister's wedding to stay inside the NBA bubble ... all because he didn't want to let down his teammates.

Alex's older sister Megan was set to tie the knot on July 18 at an indoor venue near Austin, Texas ... with more than 100 people scheduled to attend.

Alex says he's super tight with his sister --- telling ESPN, "Megan is as close to my No. 1 fan as anyone could get."

Obviously, Alex WANTED to go to the wedding -- and explored all of his options ... including renting a private jet to travel and finding a "safe house" away from the rest of the guests to sleep after the event.

But, Caruso says he began to realize it wouldn't just be a quick trip -- since he's already inside the bubble, he would need to be re-cleared for entrance into the Walt Disney World environment in Orlando ... a process that could take up to 14 days even if he tested negative for COVID.

Caruso says he ran the idea by his Lakers bosses and teammates -- including LeBron James and Anthony Davis -- and everyone was on board with his plan to go.

But, then ... a change of heart.

Alex says the two superstars "helped me realize how important I am to what we are trying to do here" -- win a championship.

And, with teammates Avery Bradley (opted out) and Rajon Rondo (hand injury) not available for the NBA restart ... Caruso ultimately decided he was too valuable to the team.

"If I was on a team that didn't have title aspirations -- a team trying to hold on to the No. 8 seed or something -- it might have been different," Caruso said ... "But we have worked too hard."

Caruso decided to stay in the bubble -- and people at the wedding later sent him video so he could watch the event after the fact.

Probably for the best ... since Caruso says only about 75% of the guests wore masks -- and it sounds like there was high risk of exposure!

Now, Caruso and the Lakers can continue to focus on the NBA restart -- which tips off July 30.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's son is now being sued after he was accused of stabbing his neighbor in June ... with the alleged victim claiming he suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed in the attack.

We broke the story ... back on June 9, cops in San Clemente, Calif. arrested 28-year-old Adam Abdul-Jabbar after they say he attacked his neighbor during an argument.

The neighbor -- ID'ed as 60-year-old Raymond Winsor -- claims in the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the whole incident went down after he urged Abdul-Jabbar to help his elderly grandmother with chores.

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar exploded on him ... claiming in the lawsuit, Abdul-Jabbar told him, "Shut your f'**king mouth or I'm gonna stick this knife through your teeth and cut your throat out."

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar then stabbed him seven times in the head, neck, back and side -- and caused MAJOR damage.

Winsor says he suffered a skull fracture and a subdural hematoma ... and was forced to stay in the hospital for three days after the altercation

Now, Winsor is suing Abdul-Jabbar ... claiming he's suffering from shock, anxiety, worry, sleeplessness, depression and much more -- and he wants Abdul-Jabbar to pay up for his medical expenses plus additional damages.

We've reached out to Abdul-Jabbar's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

However, we're told multiple people connected to the situation have said Winsor has been "needling" Adam for a while -- and the tension had been building for "a long time."

We're also told Adam is the person who called 911 -- and was cooperative with police.

As for the criminal case against Abdul-Jabbar, no formal charges have been filed yet.

We reached out to law enforcement for an update on that process, but no word back yet there either.

NY Knicks player Taj Gibson is stepping up to help finance the funeral of Davell Gardner Jr. ... after the 1-year-old boy was tragically shot and killed in Brooklyn last week.

Gardner was shot around 11:30 PM on July 12 when two gunmen opened fire on a family barbecue at the Bedford-Stuyvesant playground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died a short time after.

Gibson -- who also organized a peace walk against gun violence in Bed-Stuy after Gardner's death -- will pay for the pay the funeral and wake, a rep for the NBAer told the Brooklyn Paper.

The report also says the 35-year-old will work through his Taj Gibson Foundation to provide Gardner's family with additional financial support while dealing with the tragedy.

Gibson has been vocal against gun violence in his home city ... and uses his charity to help provide "resources and inspiration to the youth of New York City to help keep them healthy and to help them reach their full potential in life," according to its website.

Business in the front, NOTHING in the back!!

SI Swimsuit model Haley Kalil -- wife of NFL offensive tackle Matt Kalil -- came up with a way to follow her mom's "no bikini" rule and still show some skin at the same time:

One-sided one-piece suit!!! ... and if you've never heard of the term, it's exactly what you think it is.

"MOM IT’S TECHNICALLY A ONE PIECE 😂😎😂," Haley said of the suit choice.

Of course, the model was kidding about the whole "no bikini rule" ... considering she's been spotted in the Sports Illustrated shoots for the past 2 years.

This shoot went down in the British Virgin Islands ... with Kalil sporting the fully-there front with some floss-thin strings holding everything together in the back.

The 2020 edition of the mag -- with cover models Kate Bock, Olivia Culpo and Jasmine Sanders -- just hit shelves on Tuesday ... and Haley's shoot in the epic suit is featured in it.

So, don't worry, mom!! Still following the rules.

Oklahoma State football star Chuba Hubbard says he's shutting down his Twitter account after receiving backlash for calling out Oklahoma County's district attorney ... but the RB insists he'll still continue to use his platform to push for social justice.

21-year-old Hubbard -- one of the best college tailbacks in the country -- called for D.A. David Prater to resign on Monday after he claimed the guy "overstepped his position."

Hubbard, along with many others in Oklahoma, is upset with Prater -- they believe Prater should have levied charges against cops who killed 17-year-old Isaiah Lewis in a tragic arrest attempt back in 2019.

But, when Prater cleared the officers, people protested ... and when the demonstrators were eventually arrested for expressing their outrage, Prater's office hit them with terrorism charges.

This didn't fly well with Hubbard, who fired off a series of tweets criticizing the guy for the moves.

"OK County District Attorney David Prater is abusing his power as an elected official to charge demonstrators exercising the First Amendment with terrorism and ONE MILLION dollar bail," Hubbard said. "This is UNACCEPTABLE."

But, Hubbard's tweets were met with heavy backlash on the popular app ... and on Tuesday, Chuba said he was doing away with his Twitter account so people didn't have an avenue to release their hate on him.

"I have never incited or promoted violence or hate," Hubbard said. "All I've done is voice my opinion on issues I feel are not ethical! I love all! Even those that don't see eye to eye with me!"

"I will continue to play football at the highest level! That won't ever stop! But I also won't stop pushing for what I feel is right!!!! With that being said.. I have noticed my social media has become a playground for hate.. That's the last thing I ever wanted to happen!"

Hubbard continued, "You will hear me.. You will see me.. You will feel me!!! But not on twitter or any other socials until further notice! All love Chuba RMN"